Leicester Prison Resistance

About the Proposed Mega-Prison in Leicestershire

The Government are in the process of trying to build a new mega-prison in Leicester at the site of HMP Glen Parva. It will lock up more than 1600 people. It is designed to create facilities for the state to work with companies to exploit prisoner labour. It will benefit no one and harm many.

This page shares more information about the prison and the local group Leicester Prison Resistance, who are committed to fighting the plans.

10 Reasons to Reject a New Prison in Leicester

The prison will divert and drain community resources. The £140 million allocated for the new prison in Leicester could be more wisely invested in community and social welfare provision.

The prison will strain local NHS provision as prisoners have higher rates of physical and mental illness. The prison will impact on the ambulance service. HMP Oakwood, a similar size, had more than 358 call-outs alone in 2014.

A recent government report showed 80% of prisoners have mental health problems, with 69% having two or more psychiatric disorders. Prisons are not an appropriate way of supporting people with mental health issues and the new prison will greatly affect local services.

Prisons are places of trauma and violence The UK now has the highest. prisoner suicide rate in the world. Self- harm and assaults are increasing.

Prisons are racist and fundamental to maintaining white supremacy. Black and 5. minority ethnic people make up 10% of the general population, and 24% of the prison population. There are now double the number of Muslim prisoners. The criminal justice system is increasingly being used to target migrants.

Prisoners will be employed in large factory-like workshops in the prison and be paid around £7-£15 for a full working week. The prison will take jobs from the local community and region.

The Environmental Impact Statement for the prison states that there will be direct pollution impacts from construction, loss of habitat for bats, hedgehogs and toads, water contamination and that future site users will be at high risk of contaminants.

The project has been undemocratically pushed through, with zero quality consultation with people of Leicestershire. It is a project imposed on our community with little say as to alternative uses of the site or money.

Research has shown new prisons do nothing to stem prison overcrowding crises. If you build it, more people will get sent to prisons for minor crimes – more prisons mean more people incarcerated.

Prisons do not work. They do not decrease rates of re-o ending, they do not rehabilitate and they do not address the root causes of social and economic problems in society.

Six Alternatives

Funding could be invested in peer-led recovery communities to support those that have experienced problematic drug use and issues with addiction.

Funding could be retained to sustain mental health services that have been dramatically cut, as well as improving provision.

Funding could be allocated to support the homeless through investment in shelters and longer-term support.

Leicester’s air pollution issues could be tackled through ecological restoration, the creation of green space and tree planting.

Money could be invested in responding
to domestic violence and intergenerational trauma through accessible therapy and direct service provisions, such as shelters and crisis teams.

Instead of massive cuts to council budgets, that are a ecting every area of life, the £148 million allocated to a new prison can be used for meeting direct community needs. This includes retaining community spaces that face closure, investing more funding in schools and education, and other social support services and infrastructure.